For the past 10 weeks, members of an ad hoc committee have been trying to come up with a solution to the problem of tour buses on Nassau Street. The vehicles have caused concern chiefly because they hog valuable parking spaces while waiting for their passengers to shoot quick photographs of Princeton University and maybe grab a coffee at Starbucks before reboarding and leaving town.

Led by Bob Altman, who chairs Princeton’s Traffic and Transportation Committee, the 11-member ad hoc committee has settled on a simple solution: Have the buses unload and reload passengers at NJ Transit stops on Nassau Street in front of Palmer Square. “The simplicity of this is really terrific,” Mayor Liz Lempert said Monday night at a meeting of Princeton Council, where Mr. Altman presented the plan.

At a press conference earlier in the day, Council President Bernie Miller said the committee had attorney Lisa Maddox of Mason, Griffin & Pierson do some legal research, which determined that any omnibus can stop at the designated NJ Transit locations. After unloading passengers downtown, the buses would be askedКto park at a location on Alexander Street near the Dinky station and Springdale Golf Club before returning to Nassau Street to pick up passengers.

The buses would not be charged a fee for parking on Alexander Street, according to the plan. Councilwoman Jo Butler asked how the buses would be regulated, and town administrator Marc Dashield said that there is already a strong police presence on Nassau Street but details on enforcement still need to be worked out. A trial period starting around July 15 and ending September 30 is recommended, with any related parking fees and fines to be figured out after that time.

Ms. Lempert said there is a list online of tour buses that visit Princeton, and suggested that those companies be sent information about where to drop passengers off and pick
them up, and where to park while waiting.

The issue has been a thorny one among downtown merchants and members of the public. Chief among complaints, in addition to the parking problem, was the short visits passengers were making to Princeton. Instead of taking time to dine in downtown restaurants and visit local shops, tourists were tending to disembark from buses only to take pictures before moving on.

It was local merchant Henry Landau who suggested at a May Council meeting that the buses use NJ Transit stops instead of having the town take away eight metered parking spaces to create loading zones on Nassau Street, which was considered. That suggestion led to the legal research and the committee came up with the current plan.

Mr. Dashield will report at the July 13 Council meeting on whether there is a need for any new ordinances to be passed to enforce the program. In addition, Princeton Police Chief Nicholas Sutter will do an administrative review to determine whether there are items on which Council needs to take action.

Affordable Housing

Council members heard a report from Affordable Housing Coordinator Christy Peacock on the Affordable Housing Rehabilitation Program. “We think we have a better program than what we had before,” Ms. Peacock said of the initiative, which would offer interest-free loans of up to $20,000 for repairs or rehabilitation to plumbing, roof, structural, weatherization, and other major systems.

Also discussed were interest-free grants of up to $15,000 for senior citizens for work on roofs, siding, windows, heating and plumbing systems. If more work is needed, the Basic Home Improvement Program could be utilized, Ms. Peacock said. The grants will be reduced at one tenth per year and forgiven after ten years.

 A letter will go out to all residents explaining the programs, Ms. Peacock said. Residents who earn between $27,784 and $74,091 could qualify. “A lot of residents probably don’t know they are eligible,” Ms. Lempert said, adding that funds can be used for the rehabilitation of homes that are not designated affordable housing.

Mr. Miller presented a report from the Affordable Housing Task Force, identifying 13 possible sites for affordable housing. The properties range in size from .15 acres to 46 acres, including the Chestnut Street firehouse, the Harrison Street firehouse, the Maclean Street parking lot, the public works facility at 303 John Street, and sites on Herrontown and River roads, among others. Some of the parcels such as Princeton Community Housing, Princeton Housing Authority, the Princeton Fire Department sites and others, are currently being used for other purposes.

As part of its conclusions, the committee recommended that Council consider relocating the Fire Department and other municipal functions currently using the fire stations at Chestnut and Harrison Street to other locations to make the sites available for the development of affordable housing.